Barber Medical Office

Location: 226 East Davis Street, Culpeper, Virginia

• Per Culpeper county 2021 tax assessor records, the building was built in 1890 and the property contains 0.01 acres.
• Medical practice was in a two-story building in Culpeper. Dr. Barber’s office was on the ground floor, to the right of the building’s front entrance door.
• Ownership of the building was transferred to Culpeper Historic Preservation in 1987 per Culpeper county tax assessor records and later to several other owners.
• Current owner of the property/building is Dru Curd-Martin with her business, Merle Norman Cosmetics.

Building’s Occupant: African American Business and Proprietor Dr. Elijah Barber, Jr.

• Opened medical practice and office in 1931 at 226 East Davis Street, Culpeper, Virginia
• Dr. Barber served both colored and white patients in his downtown office, home office and traveling to patients’ homes performing “house calls” 24/7/365. A practice and routine that doctors no longer perform.
• In later years, Dr. Barber operated medical practice with full time office staff consisting of his wife, Mrs. Priscilla Barber and Mrs. Dora Hearns Johnson and Angela Chapman, part-time high school student.
• In later years, the Town of Culpeper erected a “Doctor Parking” sign in front of his office to ensure he always had street parking for his car in front of his office door.
• Dr. Barber retired from medical practice in 1988 at the age of 90. He practiced medicine for fifty-seven years in this same East Davis Street office.
• Additional personal and professional information of Dr. Barber is contained in his bio submitted and researched by the author, Angela Chapman

This story was originally published for the Right the Record program.